Pope Pelagius II

Pope Pelagius II (520-7 February 590) was Pope from 579 to 590, succeeding Pope Benedict I and preceding Pope Gregory I.

Biography
Pelagius was born in 520 AD in Rome to Winigild, who was of Ostrogothic descent; Pelagius belonged to the Roman culture. Emperor Maurice of Byzantium was of little help against the Lombards, so he turned to the Franks, who invaded Italy but were bribed by the Lombards to retreat. He strictly enforced the celibacy of the clergy, but the Bishop of Milan rejoined Catholicism during his tenure, while other bishops in northern Italy remained in schism. He built the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Rome to commemorate Saint Lawrence's martyrdom. Pelagius died in the plague that struck Rome in 590 AD.